North Carolina Woman, 82, Survives 9 Days Trapped in Bathtub After Fall
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 13
North Carolina Woman, 82, Survives 9 Days Trapped in Bathtub After Fall
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 13
Summary
Haywood County deputies found Joan Rivet semi-conscious in her bathtub on June 10 after she had lain trapped there for nine days following a fall at her Clyde, North Carolina, home.
Rivet said she injured her back on June 1, could not pull herself out, and survived by turning on the faucet with her foot and splashing water to her face while drifting in and out of consciousness.
Her brother, Bill Lesko of Georgia, triggered the rescue after she missed their regular calls; neighbors saw her car in the driveway but no movement inside.
Hospital staff treated severe dehydration and bed sores with IVs and liquid food, and Rivet was later moved to a rehabilitation facility in Waynesville.
The 82-year-old, who lives alone and was widowed in 2023, now plans to move to Georgia with family and says the ordeal changed how she and nearby older neighbors check on one another.